soccer urbanism

I grew up playing soccer. Fall and spring I would spend my saturday afternoons running around on the grass, logging plenty of miles while trying to do something productive with the soccer ball. Around the same time, I started watching soccer on tv, what little of it was available in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The main attraction then as it is now was the World Cup, the international tournament occurring once every four years. Professional soccer in the United States didn't exist back then. That changed in 1996 when Major League Soccer (MLS) was created.

At the heart of the MLS strategy was the fact that millions of young kids (typically in the suburbs) played soccer. Surely, if they could interest those kids in the professional game then the league would succeed. For years many teams tried (often unsuccessfully) to lure suburbanites and their children to attend professional soccer games.

It turns out that the most successful teams in MLS that draw the most consistently large crowds are those located in urban areas. Steve Davis of Soccernet.com recently wrote an article extolling the virtues of soccer urbanism. I'll admit that I am not an unbiased observer when it comes to soccer urbanism. I grew up in the DC area and to this day one of the great pleasures in my life is taking the Washington Metro to a DC United soccer game.

It probably helps that most of the people who follow professional soccer in the United States also are knowledgeable about European soccer and tend to idealize the generalized European ability of being able to walk, take the bus, or train to a local match. A lot of these people end up living in and enjoy frequenting urban areas. There is also the shear ability of mass transit to carry a large number of people to one specific area. When the New Wembley Stadium opened in London last year the 3 Tube and 2 National Rail lines that serve it could carry 100 trains an hour and transport over 70,000 passengers an hour to the stadium.

The decline and death of cities has been written about extensively for the past two or three decades. But cities are still here and urban vitality still possesses a lot of power and influence. Soccer urbanity may only be a small part of urban livability for this unabashed supporter of cities it is important indeed.

A House a Home

Last night I traveled with some friends over to South Estes Drive, ready to deliver a table and chairs to our new friends in that neighborhood. Recalling our first entry into this home on Saturday, as I entered their home for the second time I was struck by the differences. Saturday the living space was bare and seating was limited; last night the apartment welcomed us in with abundant seating and color. The family's beautiful baby was eating rice porridge and (I like to believe) recognized my face, greeting me with some expression rather than Saturday's stunned and confused gaze. Last night a table and chairs were added to the space and perhaps these objects, which are virtually meaningless in many ways, will help communicate our collective wish that this family thrive and feel at home...that they will be blessed just as we have been. I am proud to be associated with a group that worked hard and smart to accomplish a good thing...thanks to you all.

The Chicago Spire

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a huge booster of Chicago. In my mind, it is a nearly perfect city, combining many of the great attributes of a metropolis (great restaurants, job opportunities, arts, etc.) with less of the negative aspects of the two cities bigger than Chicago -- New York and LA (The second city is cheaper, less cut-throat, and has transit at both major airports).

Perhaps one of the greatest things about Chicago is its skyline. I would say it is unrivaled in the U.S., and many architecture buffs go there to see everything from the eclectic and spectacular skyscrapers downtown to the beautiful prairie school houses of Frank Lloyd Wright. Well, there is a new skyscraper being built called The Chicago Spire . The building will be the tallest in North America when it is completed in 2011. It is always a big deal, aesthetically to put an addition to the skyline of Chicago, but I think this makes a wonderful contribution.

Nevertheless, the Weiss speaker on last Thursday, Christine Westfall from the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust , has me thinking about who could possibly afford these new units. This building is just one of a number of high-end residential buildings going up in the downtown area. Unlike Chapel Hill, Chicago does not have an affordable housing ordinance, so buildings like the Chicago Spire can go up without needing to be inclusive of middle and lower income residents.

While renting in Chicago continues to be relatively cheap, buying a place has become increasingly expensive. I hope planners, politicians, and lovers of Chicago are working on a way to be sure that all the people who make the city great will be able to continue to live there. This is truly a struggle for sustainability and urban livability.